Cardinals chat with Derrick Goold

Bring your Cardinals questions and comments, and talk to Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold in a live chat.at 1 p.m.

I'm becoming a build your own salad convert since the price raise at the stir fry.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:47:02 PM

Mr. Goold: Other than an injury to either Yadier Molina or Eric Fryer, are there any circumstances that you can see where Carson Kelly would be promoted to the majors by the Cardinals before September? Kelly is doing better than good at Memphis, and I believe his skills behind and at the plate are being wasted, and will be wasted, if has to wait until he’s pushing 26 years old to be the everyday catcher for the Cardinals. Thanks.

by Bruce5/15/2017 9:47:20 PM

Yes, the need for a bat for a short-term stay and injuries all around. Kelly could come up as a righthanded bat off the bench to give it more strength -- like, say, around the time the Cardinals have to revisit an American League ballpark. That makes sense, especially if the injuries clear the way for that need. He can play third, first, and spell Molina at catcher. It wouldn't be along stay, but it could happen.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:48:18 PM

Which non-Alex-Reyes player has the biggest trade value on the team?

by JTimms5/15/2017 9:48:33 PM

Rapidly becoming Jack Flaherty.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:48:48 PM

Who stays with big club, Tommy Pham or J Martinez, once healthy?

by Kevin in DC5/15/2017 9:48:52 PM

Who is hitting better? Martinez has a rehab assignment ahead of him before he's even considered for a return. So that will offer an answer.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:49:14 PM

Flaherty has jumped Alcantara already, right?

by Andrew5/15/2017 9:49:36 PM

Oh, good question. I've got some recency bias in more recent answer there, and I usually try to avoid that. OK, mulligan. Flaherty has closed ground on Alcantara, but when it comes to a trade, gosh, they're going to be a pick 'em at this point. I shouldn't have so readily said Flaherty and not also listed Alcantara.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:50:31 PM

Who would you package in a trade, then, Flaherty or Weaver?

by Kevin in DC5/15/2017 9:50:34 PM

What am I getting in return? Neither unless the player is good.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:50:50 PM

With the Robert pursuit, is your sense that he will simply go to whatever team offers the most money, or are there other factors (relationships, etc.) that go into the decision for him?

by Rodger5/15/2017 9:50:56 PM

Money. Though we'll hear all about the fit and the friends and the future at the press conference. Those could be tiebreakers, because we are in a spot where the offers might be the same. Or close to it.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:51:32 PM

Let's say that the Padres decide to return Cordoba, and the Cardinals assign him to the minors. Would that count as one of his options? and would his time with the Padres count towards his eligibility for arbitration and free agency?

by John Candelaria5/15/2017 9:51:41 PM

No. He would not be on the Cardinals' 40-man roster, he would merely be returning from whence he came -- which was off the 40-man roster and thus not optioned.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:52:06 PM

As much as I love Ozzie, he, along with Ken Boyer, don't make the Rushmore cut. Per fangraphs WAR for time as a Cardinal only: Stan 126.8, Rajah 93.5, Gibson 82.6, Albert 81.4, Ozzie 59.5, Ken Boyer 50.7. Next best? Ted Simmons, 49.2

by Tom5/15/2017 9:52:21 PM

As it is with the actual Mt. Rushmore, the four people picked cannot be judged on WAR alone.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:52:46 PM

I know Maddon was fired up about the slide rule call Saturday. But it seemed like poor taste to me to joke about pitchers being required to wear helmets and cages around the on deck circle when the Cards have a minor league pitcher in the ICU with a head injury and a former player who was nearly blinded when he got hit in the face in the on deck circle.

by johnb.5/15/2017 9:52:56 PM

Agreed. I hope that it was accidental. I'm sure it was.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:53:14 PM

Still, he could be more aware of his surroundings.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:53:30 PM

Dodgers-Rockies on the road will be the real test of where this team is--agree?

by Kevin in DC5/15/2017 9:53:44 PM

A test. Not the test. They could have a losing record on that road trip and still be the equal of those two teams as far as contending. But this home stand, this one right now, the Cardinals need to win these series to say they are the contender they should be. That's my view.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:54:31 PM

Thanks for all the great work DG. I was wondering about the wording when a player is called up from the minor leagues. Their contract is "purchased" as you know, is that tied to how there can be different ownerships between a major and minor league team? I know the player then begins making the major league minimum, but did not know if there was more behind hearing "Cardinals have purchased the contract of Mags Sierra."

by John5/15/2017 9:54:39 PM

So, purchased actually means that a contract was removed from the minor-league side and added to the 40-man roster. That's what they mean when they talk about a player's contract being purchased. His minor-league contract is quite literally being bought by the major-league club to be added to the 40-man roster. Sierra already had a major-league contract this year, and thus was promoted/recalled from High-A Palm Beach.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:55:48 PM

Why doesn't Luis Robert wait to sign in July when the big market teams can start to spend in the international window again?

by Jason5/15/2017 9:55:53 PM

New CBA rules will limit his ability to get the major riches he can not get. Significantly.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:56:12 PM

Did anyone point out either of those things to Maddon?

by Tim5/15/2017 9:56:14 PM

I don't know. I don't believe so. I read, received the comments later and was not present. I have been thinking all day about whether or not I would have pointed that out. I would like to be confident that I would have mentioned Encarnacion. I probably would have. Yes, I would have. I cannot write in the paper what I would not say to the person. So, I would have said it.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:57:07 PM

Has Grichuk shortened his swing in order to lower his strikeouts? He is hitting more doubles and less HRs, but his Ks are about the same as last year. Or do you think it is a matter of time that he hits more over the fences

by Kevin in DC5/15/2017 9:57:15 PM

It's both: It's a short swing, for sure, and it's a matter of time before the power he's had for doubles becomes homers going over the wall.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:57:39 PM

In your article today, you said a player tell Matheny the second base rule was stupid. And then you said Matheny talked to Fowler. So was it Fowler that thought the rule is dumb?

by Mike5/15/2017 9:57:45 PM

Good question. This is a little Inside Journalism. That was not clear to me from the comment. Matheny told a story about the player who said the play was "stupid," and then he told the story about Fowler. It was not clear they were one and the same because we had been talking about conversations taking place in spring training and during the season. I did not take advantage of a chance to ask for clarification before writing the article. Whereas, I did about another story to make sure it was clear in the story about the video that Matheny watched.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 9:59:39 PM

If all the outfielders on the 40 man roster were healthy right now, what outfield gives the Cardinals the best chance to win right now, given Pham and Mags performance over the past road trip? Is it Pham Fowler Mags? Or do Grichuk or Piscotty push one of the newcomers out despite their impressive performance?

by strider3795/15/2017 9:59:50 PM

Still Grichuk, Fowler, and Piscotty, though Pham needs to mix in there with Grichuk, maybe even more so than Martinez did. And Pham could also spell Fowler to get at-bats, and that would be quite valuable.

by Derrick Goold5/15/2017 10:00:33 PM

Thanks for the weekly Chat- look forward to it. I am finding this team to be flawed but enjoyable team. We seem to be improving daily and the team seems to be engaged and having fun. Has Mike Matheny loosened up or has the team just loosened up around him?

by GK5/15/2017 10:00:45 PM

More the latter than the former, the manager will admit. But a little of both.